1. |
||||
|
Come all you jolly good fellows, I'll sing to you a song,
It's all about them shanty boys and it won't take me long,
For it's now that I regret the day, while I'm working out in the cold;
Save your money while you're young, me boys, you'll need it when you're old.
For once I was a shanty boy, now wasn't I a lad?
And the way I spent me money, oh, wasn't it too bad?
But it's now that I regret the day, while I'm working out in the cold;
Save your money while you're young, me boys, you'll need it when you're old.
And if you are a married man, I'll tell you what to do,
Be good to your wife and family, as you have sworn to do.
Stay away from all grog shops where liquor is bought and sold;
Save your money while you’re young, me boys, you'll need it when you're old.
Ah, but if you are a single man, I'll tell you what to do,
Just find yourself a pretty young girl that to you will prove true;
Just find yourself a likely lass, both beautiful and bold;
That will stick to you through life and be a comfort when you're old.
For once I was a shanty boy, now wasn't I a lad?
And the way I spent me money, oh, wasn't it too bad?
But it's now that I regret the day, while I'm working out in the cold;
Save your money while you're young, me boys, you'll need it when you're old.
|
||||
2. |
||||
|
Fare thee well dearest Nancy for now I must leave you;
To the burning West Indies my course for to steer,
And I know very well that this parting will grieve you,
But love, I'll return in the spring of the year.
Oh don't talk of leaving, my own dearest jewel;
Oh, don't talk of leaving me here on this shore,
For it is your sweet company that I do desire, love;
I'll sigh till I die, if I ne'er see you more.
In sailor's apparel I'll dress and go with you;
In the midst of all danger I will be your friend,
And when that the cold stormy winds are a-blowing,
My love I'll be with you, to wait on you then.
Your lily-white hands cannot handle a cable;
Your neat little feet to the topmast can't go;
Your delicate form the cruel gales can't endure, dear;
Therefore dearest Nancy, to the ocean don't go.
As she stood a-wailing, the ship set a-sailing,
And the tears down her fair cheeks in torrents did flow;
Her lily-white hands she in sorrow was wringing,
Crying, "Oh, my dear jewel, will I ne'er see you more?"
Come all you young maidens, I pray take a warning,
And ne'er trust a sailor but heed what I say,
For first he will court you, then love you and leave you,
Forever lamenting in sorrow and pain.
|
||||
3. |
Daft Annie
04:30
|
|||
|
There was a lass of Ellen town and oh, but she was fair;
Of all the flowers in nature's bloom no beauty shone more rare.
She was courted by a gentleman with gold and silver bright,
But she loved a lad, a farmer's son, who was her heart's delight.
Now Jimmy was this young man's name and he loved his Annie dear,
And they walked down by the river in the springtime of the year.
This grieved the gentleman full sore for a jealous man was he,
Saying, “If I can't have young Annie, then no other man she'll see.”
This gentleman, being a clever man, to a sergeant he did go,
Saying, “If you'll recruit young Jimmy then my riches you will know.”
So the sergeant took two of his men; brought Jimmy to an inn,
Saying, “Jimmy, you're a canny lad, this night you'll dine within.”
And they gave him beer; they gave him wine, 'til his head was thick and sore,
Then they gave to him the shilling and they sent him off to war.
When Annie found that he was gone, she wept and tore her hair,
And she swore she'd have no other but the willow she would wear.
When six long months were past and gone no word from him she'd read,
Then a letter came, all edged in black, and it said that he was dead.
From that day forth she walked alone down by the waters black,
And for forty years she wished to God that her Jimmy would come back.
For forty years she walked each day down by that riverside,
And the children called her “Daftie”, though they knew not why she cried.
'Twas on one April morning as she walked down by the strand,
Her clothes were white, by morning light, and a red rose in her hand.
And she walked down upon the bank, with her face turned to the sky,
Then she walked into the water and she bade this world goodbye.
And the church bells rang, all nature sang, no wedding was more gay,
As she went unto her Jimmy at the dawning of the day.
|
||||
4. |
||||
|
All things are quite silent, each mortal at rest
When me and my true love got snug in one nest
When a bold set of ruffians they entered our cave
And they forced my dear true love to plough the salt wave
I begged hard for my true love as though I begged for life
They’d not listen to me although a fond wife
Saying the King he needs sailors to the sea he must go
And they left me lamenting in sorrow and woe.
Through green fields and meadows we ofttimes did walk
And sweet conversations of love we have talked
And the small birds in the woodlands so sweetly did sing
And the young thrushes’ voices in the valley did ring.
Although my love’s gone I will not be cast down
Who knows when my true love may someday return
And will make me amends for all sorrow and strife
And my true love and I will live happy for life.
|
||||
5. |
The Volunteer
03:52
|
|||
|
Sez I: My Country calls? Well, let it call
I grins perlitely and declines wiv thanks
Go let 'em plaster every blighted wall
'Ere's one they won't stampede into the ranks
Them politicians with their greasy ways
Them empire-grabbers, fight for them? No fear;
I've seen this mess a-coming from the days
Of Algyserious and Aggydear
I've felt my passion rise and swell,
But...wot the 'ell, Bill? Wot the hell?
Sez I: My Country? Mine? I likes their cheek
Me mud-bespattered by the cars they drive,
Wot makes me measly thirty bob a week
And sweats red blood to keep meself alive!
Fight for the right to slave that they might spend,
Them in their mansions, me 'ere in me slum?
No, let 'em fight wot's something to defend:
But me, I've nothin'—let the Kaiser come.
And so I cusses hard and well,
But...wot the 'ell, Bill? Wot the hell?
Sez I: If they would do the decent thing,
And shield the missus and the little ones,
Then even I might shout “God save the King”
And take me chances wiv them 'ungry guns.
But we've got three, another on the way;
It's that what makes me scowl and set me jaw
The wife and nippers, wot of them, I say,
If I gets knocked out in this blasted war?
Gets proper busted by a shell,
But...wot the 'ell, Bill? Wot the hell?
Ah, wot the 'ell's the use of all this talk?
Today some boys in blue was passin' me,
And some of 'em they 'ad no legs to walk,
And some of 'em they 'ad no eyes to see.
And—well, I couldn't look 'em in the face,
And so I'm goin', goin' to declare
I'm under forty-one, and take me place
To face the music with the lads out there.
A fool you say! Well, perhaps you're right.
I'll get no peace until I fight.
I've ceased to think; I only know
I've gotta go, Bill, gotta go.
|
||||
6. |
Campbell the Drover
04:16
|
|||
|
The first day of April, I'll never forget,
Three English lassies together they met;
They mounted their horses and swore solemnly
That they would play a trick on the first man they see.
Now, Campbell, the drover, was riding that day,
And soon he encountered those lassies so gay.
They reined in their horses and he did the same,
And in close conversation together they came.
And sing fol de rol laddy,
Fol de rol laddy,
Fol de rol laddy,
Sing fol de rol day.
They asked him to show them the way to the inn,
And would he drink whiskey or would he drink gin?
Then Campbell made answer and said with a smile,
"Sure, I long for to taste the strong ale of Carlisle"
They called in the servants and started a dance;
They ordered the landlord to spare no expense;
They danced the next morning, 'til 'twixt eight and nine,
And they called for their breakfast, and afterwards wine.
They mounted their horses, alas and alack,
It dawned on the landlord they weren't coming back.
He said, "My dear Irishman, I am afraid
That those three English jokers a trick on you played".
"Never mind," says old Campbell, "If they've gone away,
I've plenty of money, the reckoning to pay.
Just sit down beside me, and before that I go,
I'll teach you a trick that perhaps you don't know”.
"I'll teach you a trick that's contrary to law:
Two kinds of whiskey from one cask to draw".
The landlord, being eager to learn of the plan,
Straightway to the cellar, with Paddy, he ran.
He soon bore a hole in a very short space,
And he bade the landlord stick his thumb on then place.
He then bored another, "Place your other thumb there,
While I for a tumbler must run up the stairs"
When Campbell was mounted, and well out of sight,
The hostler came in in a terrible fright.
He hunted the house, high up and low down;
Half dead in the cellar, his master he found.
"Go and find that bold Irishman!" loudly he cried;
"I fear he has vanished", the hostler replied.
He said, "My dear landlord, I am afraid
That Campbell the drover a trick on you played."
|
||||
7. |
The Misfit
05:11
|
|||
|
The emigrant who lives his life
As exile, gazing back
On moor and mountain left behind,
On beer and barroom craic.
He never makes himself at home,
He never sees the good,
He’ll always look for what he’s lost,
And pine for where he stood.
Where he stood
He’ll always look for what he’s lost,
And pine for where he stood.
“Not like back home”, he’s apt to say
For nothing is so fine
As when he roamed his native land
Way back in sixty-nine.
For forty years he’s struggled
In “this godforsaken land”
Where he’s the only one in step
Oblivious to the band.
His family, born and grown up here,
Three daughters and a son;
All children of this land he roams
His name to carry on.
Yet still he lives for times before
No time for those ahead;
His heart remains where he was born,
His future with the dead.
You wonder why he came at all,
This man of home denied.
A better life, some peace and quiet
Some land, some space, some pride?
Whatever greener grass he saw
Has withered in his eyes,
This emigrant forever lost
In search of Canaan’s prize.
And yet were he to go back home,
A strange land would he find;
A different tongue, and different ways
From those he left behind.
For years make change as sure as miles,
And nothing stands so still
As the bitter man who knows no home,
And surely never will.
Yet many come, and many stay,
And many make their home
In places strange, on open range
Across the raging foam;
And happiness is theirs, because
When push it leads to shove,
It matters less the place they live,
And more the ones they love.
|
||||
8. |
Charming Molly
02:48
|
|||
|
Charming Molly, fair and brisk and gay, like nightingales in May
All round her eyelids young Cupids play,
She has eyes so bright they shine
Black as any berry, cheeks like any cherry.
Charming Molly with sparkling eyes.
See how the swain do admire and desire such a pretty woman,
To hold her hand it burns like sparkling fire,
In her eyes these things are seen,
Violets, roses, lilies and daffadown-dillies.
Charming Molly she is all divine.
Surely there's no one loves a pretty woman if she be not common
Surely such beauty most men admire,
Surely no one can them despise,
Because they are so pretty and they talk so witty,
Charming Molly with sparkling eyes.
|
||||
9. |
God and The Orange Clown
03:52
|
|||
|
When your forests turn to ash,
When your fields all turn to dust,
When your islands are awash,
How will you choose; who will you trust?
And when the mudslides hurtle down,
Who will you turn to for recourse?
When your greens all fade to brown,
Who will you blame; who will you curse?
And will you go to church to pray,
Leaving your children to atone.
This world you’ve left in disarray
Is not God’s work; it is your own.
When tornados wreck your town,
When the tempest scours your coast,
Will you still heed the orange clown,
Will you still cheer his every boast?
And when it’s time to make your choice,
Whose truth, whose lies will you believe?
Will you ignore the braying voice?
Will you refuse to be deceived?
Or will you go... etc
So good Christians all, awake
Fight the tide or surely drown!
For your blessed children’s sake
Drive away the orange clown
For when at last the seas run dry
And when rocks melt in the sun,
And when you can no more deny,
Then you’ll see what you have done.
Then will you go... etc.
|
||||
10. |
Dead Funny
03:12
|
|||
|
There’s a lot to be said for ending up dead
No need to fear that long sleep, for
One thing's for sure, your woes will be yore,
Courtesy of the grim reaper.
You’ll no longer be here in this sad vale of tears;
No need to keep up your resistance,
For you won’t be there, or indeed anywhere,
Unaware of your own non-existence
So rattle your bones, and join in the chorus,
Death’s round the corner and he’s coming for us.
Eat drink and be merry, while you’re alive,
‘cos we’ve all got a date with the guy with the scythe.
You’ll just vanish your way through organic decay;
There’s really no reason to cry a tear;
It’s all part of the game; you go back whence you came,
Your remains reabsorbed by the biosphere.
So new life can rely on your carbon and iron,
Your calcium and sulphur and phosphorus;
You’ll be part of the trees, and the birds, and the bees,
From the high Arctic seas to the Bosphorus.
It’s true, I once read that some guru once said,
“Relax folks, for everything passes”,
And that’s sure to be true, for me and for you,
So cheer up and fill up your glasses.
For we come and we go, with the ebb and the flow
Of the tides of the earth and her story;
Bright creatures of chance, briefly part of the dance,
So be glad that you’ve shared in life’s glory.
|
||||
11. |
Bold Riley
04:16
|
|||
|
Oh the rain it rains all day long,
Bold Riley-o, bold Riley.
And the northern wind, it blows so strong,
Bold Riley-o has gone away.
Goodbye my darling, goodbye my dear-o
Bold Riley-o, bold Riley,
Goodbye my darling, goodbye my dear-o
Bold Riley-o has gone away.
We're outward bound for the Bengal Bay,
Crack on my lads, it's a hell of a way.
Oh Mary, Mary, don't look so glum,
Come white-stocking day you'll be drinkin' rum.
Oh Riley, Riley, where are you?
Oh Riley's gone, and I'm going too.
|
||||
Ian Robb Ottawa, Ontario
Self-described “singer and writer of old songs”, Ian Robb started out singing in English folk clubs in the 1960s, before emigrating to Canada in 1970. Since then, he has sung with Finest Kind, The Friends of Fiddler’s Green, Jiig, Arrowsmith:Robb Trio and most recently, with James Stephens. In 2005 he was awarded one of the first Canadian Folk Music Awards for “Best Singer: Traditional”. ... more
If you like Declining With Thanks, you may also like:
Make The World Anew
by Melrose Quartet
supported by 7 fans who also own “Declining With Thanks”
go to album
The Poor Shall Wear the Crown: Songs by Leon Rosselson
by Nancy Kerr
supported by 5 fans who also own “Declining With Thanks”
Just another Superb well delivered album by this wonderful versatile artist very well recorded produced its a must for anyone's collection. Nancys vocals are brilliant as ever.. stand out album.
go to album
A Boat of Promises
by Gavin & Amy Davenport
supported by 4 fans who also own “Declining With Thanks”
go to album
Ship To Shore
by Richard Thompson
Sly humor and mordant dryness is balanced by Thompson’s spirited, deeply committed playing.
go to album
Endurance Soundly Caged
by Stick In The Wheel
Adapting their calculated standards into a raw, live setting, the radical UK folk duo rework six highlights from their spellbindincatalogue.
go to album
featured on Bandcamp Radio Apr 23, 2019
go to album
supported by 4 fans who also own “Declining With Thanks”
I've always been a huge fan of Nancy's playing and this track is a great example of her playing style. Can spot it a mile off, which is a compliment by the way!
go to album
